I met Tonya Galle and Chuck Latham in 1980 in Ms. Richard’s class at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. Tonya and I were immediately best friends. And Chuckie…..well, he is my first love. Lura Menard and I clicked in 1990 in Coach Lewis’ PE class at Belle Chasse High School sophomore year, we’ve been inseparable since.

Although we’ve lived in different states and towns for the last thirty years, these are the friends who’d help you bury a body and take the secret to their own grave. The friends who’d drop everything and fly to your rescue. The friends who would raise your children if anything ever happened to you.

There is no one on the planet I’d rather have than these roll dawgs.

Eternally yours,

Rosebud aka Stew

Elizabeth Wurtzel died of breast cancer yesterday. Her book Prozac Nation blew my mind at 20. Through her writing, I realized I too suffered from depression. One of her essays was re-published in honor of her work. I thought it was worth sharing.

“The best people are the ones you have to forgive for everything. You have no choice; it would be worse to live without them.” -Elizabeth Wurtzel

Depression is a neurochemical imbalance, crippling to the point of not having control over your thoughts and feelings. What has helped me is the number one recommended treatment for depression; medication and therapy. I’m sure yoga, church, oils, diets, etc have helped others and that’s awesome for those people. However, some of us need medication and therapy. Then there are some who require more invasive measures like electroshock therapy and other experimental methods to treat their depression.

This is the best time of my life ❤️

“As I grow in age, I value women who are over forty most of all. Here are just a few reasons why: A woman over forty will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, “What are you thinking?” She doesn’t care what you think.

If a woman over forty doesn’t want to watch the game, she doesn’t sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it’s usually something more interesting.

A woman over forty knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of forty give a hoot what you might think about her or what she’s doing.

Women over forty are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won’t hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it’s like to be unappreciated.

A woman over forty has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn’t trust the guy with other women. Women over forty couldn’t care less if you’re attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won’t betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over forty. They always know.

A woman over forty looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over forty is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They’ll tell you right off if you are a jerk, if you are acting like one! You don’t ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over forty for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it’s not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of forty-plus, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some twenty-two-year-old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free,” here’s an update for you. Now 80 percent of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it’s not worth buying an entire pig, just to get a little sausage.”

-Andy Rooney

my reason for living is named Mac.  he makes me a better human.  he slowed me down.  he taught me to stop worrying about the outside and focus on the inside.  everyday he shows me how to value and appreciate life.  he is my little jedi.